Gergana has completed a bachelor degree in Marketing from the University of National and World Economy. She has been with the STF team for three years, researching malware and reporting on the latest infections. She believes that in times of constantly evolving dependency of network connected technologies, people should spread the word not the war.

Gergana has completed a bachelor degree in Marketing from the University of National and World Economy. She has been with the STF team for three years, researching malware and reporting on the latest infections. She believes that in times of constantly evolving dependency of network connected technologies, people should spread the word not the war.

Gergana has completed a bachelor degree in Marketing from the University of National and World Economy. She has been with the STF team for three years, researching malware and reporting on the latest infections. She believes that in times of constantly evolving dependency of network connected technologies, people should spread the word not the war.

Threats such as [email protected]_com Files Virus may be persistent on your system. They tend to re-appear if not fully deleted. A malware removal tool like SpyHunter will help you to remove malicious programs, saving you the time and the struggle of tracking down numerous malicious files.SpyHunter’s scanner is free but the paid version is needed to remove the malware threats. Read SpyHunter’s EULA and Privacy Policy

Gergana has completed a bachelor degree in Marketing from the University of National and World Economy. She has been with the STF team for three years, researching malware and reporting on the latest infections. She believes that in times of constantly evolving dependency of network connected technologies, people should spread the word not the war.

This article provides information about a ransomware named after the extension it uses to mark encrypted files [email protected]_com. At the end of it, you will find a step-by-step guide that helps for the removal of this threat as well as alternative data recovery approaches.

The [email protected]_com is a newly detected data locker ransomware that appends an extension of the same name to all files it corrupts. Another name that security researchers use to indicate this ransomware is PGPSnippet. As a typical crypto virus, [email protected]_com blackmails victims into paying a ransom for their encrypted files. According to the ransom message associated with the threat, the ransom amount equals to $500 and hackers demand it in Bitcoin. Keep reading and find out how to remove all malicious files and restore encrypted data.

Windows Data Recovery by Stellar PhoenixNotice! This product scans your drive sectors to recover lost files and it may not recover 100% of the encrypted files, but only few of them, depending on the situation and whether or not you have reformatted your drive.

The ransomware payload may land on the computer after a visit of a compromised web page as it can be set to drop it on the hosts of all its visitors. The URLs of such pages can be distributed via various advertising campaigns, posted on social media channels or send in email spam messages.

Another spread technique which is probably the most preferred by hackers is sending the ransomware payload in spam email messages. The malicious code could be embedded in file email attachments like archives, documents, images, text files, PDFs and other. Beware and practice caution before you download and open files from received emails even when they seem legitimate as hackers often pose as representatives of well-known companies, services, websites and even governmental institutions. This way they attempt to trick you into infecting your system with devastating infections like [email protected]_com files virus.

An infection with [email protected]_com happens after its malicious payload is started on the system. One of the ransomware payloads analyzed by security researchers is named PGPSnippet.exe. The code of this file triggers the infection process and is supposedly designed to support the following steps that lead the attack to its very end.

For the infection process may be utilized other malicious files that are either created directly on the system or downloaded from the ransomware’s command and control server. Commonly malware of this kind use some essential system folders to store its malicious files. So if [email protected]_com files virus is not set to delete all its malicious traits at the end of the attack, some of its associated files may be located at:

%AppData%

%Local%

%LocalLow%

%Roaming%

%Temp%

%Windows%

It is also likely that some registry keys will be plagued by malicious values set by the ransomware. Usually, the sub-keys Run and RunOnce get affected by crypto viruses like [email protected]_com as they can execute automatically all its malicious files on each system start. The functionalities of the same keys may be used at the end of the attack when the ransomware needs to display its ransom note on the PC screen.

The note is contained in a file called !!!README_DECRYPT!!!.txt and all what it reads is:

ATTENTION ! All your documents and other files ENCRYPTED !!! TO RESTORE YOUR FILES YOU MUST TO PAY: 500$ by Bitcoin to this address: 1Nvhebx6EHmFmXokSbXMxbCNGN2fwtgq8W You can open an wallet here: https://electrum.org/#download https://blockchain.info https://localbitcoins.com/ https://paxful.com/en https://www.bestchanee.com/ Send the file on the way “WIN + R >> %APPDATA%” file name hosts.txt to our e-mail after paymentat this email address: [email protected] We will confirm payment and send to you decrypt key + instruction Remember: you have a 72 hours and if you not paid, that price will up ATTENTION : all your attempts to decrypt your PC without our software and key can lead to irreversible destruction of your files !

As it reveals the demanded ransom equals to $500 which at the moment of writing this article is approximately 0.06 BTC. A time frame attempts to provoke victims into paying the ransom within 72 hours as afterward it will increase to an undefined amount of money. Beware that the ransom payment does not guarantee the decryption of [email protected]_com files as hackers may not have a working decryption solution. Furthermore, they may skip sending any decryption key even when the transaction is made.

The primary goal of the so-called [email protected]_com crypto virus is to encode predefined types of files and make them inaccessible. It is likely that the following files are encrypted by this ransomware:

Audio files

Video files

Document files

Image files

Backup files

Banking credentials, etc

After encryption, all these have the extension [email protected]_com appended at the end of their original names.

The crypto virus is also likely to erase all the Shadow Volume Copies from the Windows operating system. This is possible with a single command:

→vssadmin.exe delete shadows /all /Quiet

As a result one of the possible ways for data restore is eliminated. Happily, there are other available methods that may help you to restore some files back to their normal state. Keep reading to find some of them.

The removal of [email protected]_com crypto virus demands a bit of technical experience and ability to recognize characteristics of malware files. And there is no doubt that you should remove this nasty threat from the infected PC as quickly as possible. Below you could find how to do it step by step. Beware that [email protected]_com is a severe threat that is designed to plague the whole system. Security researchers recommend the help of advanced anti-malware tool for maximum efficiency and future protection against such devastating threats.

After you remove the ransomware make sure to check the “Restore Files” step listed in the guide below. But before you take any further actions, don’t forget to back up all encrypted files to an external drive in order to prevent their irreversible loss.

Note! Your computer system may be affected by [email protected]_com Files Virus and other threats.Scan Your PC with SpyHunter SpyHunter is a powerful malware removal tool designed to help users with in-depth system security analysis, detection and removal of threats such as [email protected]_com Files Virus.Keep in mind, that SpyHunter’s scanner is only for malware detection. If SpyHunter detects malware on your PC, you will need to purchase SpyHunter’s malware removal tool to remove the malware threats. Read our SpyHunter 5 review. Click on the corresponding links to check SpyHunter’s EULA, Privacy Policy and Threat Assessment Criteria.

Manual Removal Usually Takes Time and You Risk Damaging Your Files If Not Careful!

We Recommend To Scan Your PC with SpyHunter

Keep in mind, that SpyHunter’s scanner is only for malware detection. If SpyHunter detects malware on your PC, you will need to purchase SpyHunter’s malware removal tool to remove the malware threats. Read our SpyHunter 5 review. Click on the corresponding links to check SpyHunter’s EULA, Privacy Policy and Threat Assessment Criteria

Boot Your PC Into Safe Mode

1. For Windows XP, Vista and 7. 2. For Windows 8, 8.1 and 10. Fix registry entries created by malware and PUPs on your PC.

For Windows XP, Vista and 7 systems:

1. Remove all CDs and DVDs, and then Restart your PC from the “Start” menu. 2. Select one of the two options provided below:

– For PCs with a single operating system: Press “F8” repeatedly after the first boot screen shows up during the restart of your computer. In case the Windows logo appears on the screen, you have to repeat the same task again.

– For PCs with multiple operating systems: Тhe arrow keys will help you select the operating system you prefer to start in Safe Mode. Press “F8” just as described for a single operating system.

3. As the “Advanced Boot Options” screen appears, select the Safe Mode option you want using the arrow keys. As you make your selection, press “Enter“.

4. Log on to your computer using your administrator account

While your computer is in Safe Mode, the words “Safe Mode” will appear in all four corners of your screen.

Step 1: Open up the Start Menu.

Step 2: Click on the Power button (for Windows 8 it is the little arrow next to the “Shut Down” button) and whilst holding down “Shift” click on Restart.

Step 3: After reboot, a blue menu with options will appear. From them you should choose Troubleshoot.

Step 4: You will see the Troubleshoot menu. From this menu choose Advanced Options.

Step 7: A menu will appear upon reboot. You can choose any of the three Safe Mode options by pressing its corresponding number and the machine will restart.

Some malicious scripts may modify the registry entries on your computer to change different settings. This is why cleaning your Windows Registry Database is recommended. Since the tutorial on how to do this is a bit long and tampering with registries could damage your computer if not done properly you should refer and follow our instructive article about fixing registry entries, especially if you are unexperienced in that area.

For Newer Windows Operating Systems

Step 1:

On your keyboard press + R and write explorer.exe in the Run text box and then click on the Ok button.

Step 2:

Click on your PC from the quick access bar. This is usually an icon with a monitor and its name is either “My Computer”, “My PC” or “This PC” or whatever you have named it.

Step 3:

Navigate to the search box in the top-right of your PC’s screen and type “fileextension:” and after which type the file extension. If you are looking for malicious executables, an example may be “fileextension:exe”. After doing that, leave a space and type the file name you believe the malware has created. Here is how it may appear if your file has been found:

N.B. We recommend to wait for the green loading bar in the navination box to fill up in case the PC is looking for the file and hasn’t found it yet.

For Older Windows Operating Systems

In older Windows OS’s the conventional approach should be the effective one:

Step 1:

Click on the Start Menu icon (usually on your bottom-left) and then choose the Search preference.

Step 2:

After the search window appears, choose More Advanced Options from the search assistant box. Another way is by clicking on All Files and Folders.

Step 3:

After that type the name of the file you are looking for and click on the Search button. This might take some time after which results will appear. If you have found the malicious file, you may copy or open its location by right-clicking on it.

Now you should be able to discover any file on Windows as long as it is on your hard drive and is not concealed via special software.

IMPORTANT!Before starting the Automatic Removal below, please boot back into Normal mode, in case you are currently in Safe Mode. This will enable you to install and use SpyHunter 5 successfully.

Use SpyHunter to scan for malware and unwanted programs

1. Install SpyHunter to scan for [email protected]_com Files Virus and remove them.2. Scan with SpyHunter, Detect and Remove [email protected]_com Files Virus. Back up your data to secure it from malware in the future.

Step 1: Click on the “Download” button to proceed to SpyHunter’s download page.

It is recommended to run a scan before purchasing the full version of the software to make sure that the current version of the malware can be detected by SpyHunter. Click on the corresponding links to check SpyHunter’s EULA, Privacy Policy and Threat Assessment Criteria.

Step 2: Guide yourself by the download instructions provided for each browser.

Step 3: After you have installed SpyHunter, wait for it to update automatically.

Step 1: After the update process has finished, click on the ‘Malware/PC Scan’ tab. A new window will appear. Click on ‘Start Scan’.

Step 2: After SpyHunter has finished scanning your PC for any files of the associated threat and found them, you can try to get them removed automatically and permanently by clicking on the ‘Next’ button.

Step 3: If any threats have been removed, it is highly recommended to restart your PC.

Back up your data to secure it against attacks in the future

IMPORTANT! Before reading the Windows backup instructions, we highly recommend to back up your data with a cloud backup solution and insure your files against any type of loss, even from the most severe threats. We recommend you to read more about it and to download SOS Online Backup.

Ransomware infections and [email protected]_com Files Virus aim to encrypt your files using an encryption algorithm which may be very difficult to decrypt. This is why we have suggested several alternative methods that may help you go around direct decryption and try to restore your files. Bear in mind that these methods may not be 100% effective but may also help you a little or a lot in different situations.

Method 2: Trying Kaspersky and EmsiSoft’s decryptors.If the first method does not work, we suggest trying to use decryptors for other ransomware viruses, in case your virus is a variant of them. The two primary developers of decryptors are Kaspersky and EmsiSoft, links to which we have provided below:

Method 4: Finding the decryption key while the cryptovirus sends it over a network via a sniffing tool.

Another way to decrypt the files is by using a Network Sniffer to get the encryption key, while files are encrypted on your system. A Network Sniffer is a program and/or device monitoring data traveling over a network, such as its internet traffic and internet packets. If you have a sniffer set before the attack happened you might get information about the decryption key. See how-to instructions below:

Gergana has completed a bachelor degree in Marketing from the University of National and World Economy. She has been with the STF team for three years, researching malware and reporting on the latest infections. She believes that in times of constantly evolving dependency of network connected technologies, people should spread the word not the war.

Gergana has completed a bachelor degree in Marketing from the University of National and World Economy. She has been with the STF team for three years, researching malware and reporting on the latest infections. She believes that in times of constantly evolving dependency of network connected technologies, people should spread the word not the war.